‘Sherlock’ Seasons 4 and 5 Officially Ordered, Says Steven Moffat

This coming Sunday will see Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman's beloved 'Sherlock' bringing its latest season to a close yet again (at least in the UK), but for all of series creator Steven Moffat's talk about future season likelihood, has the BBC officially ordered the next run, leaving Moffat and co-writer/star Mark Gatiss to plan a fifth season?

According to Moffat's interviews with the press from a recent screening of season 3's final installment, "His Last Vow," there should be no doubt that Cumberbatch and Freeman will return for a fourth season on the BBC. Given the pair's hectic schedules, however, it remains to be seen when production would begin. If nothing else, Moffat told reporters that he and Gatiss already have the fourth and fifth seasons plotted out, with no shortage of excitement:

Rather excitingly, Mark and I, for no particular reason, we just got out of the rain and sat at the top of the [Sherlock] production bus… and we just started plotting out what we could do in the future, and we plotted out the whole of series four and five. So we have got plans – but our plans don’t tend to be ‘Let’s blow up the world or cast the most famous person in the world’ they tend to be ‘What exciting twists and turns can we add to this?’ And I think we’ve got some crackers! The ideas we had that day, I thought were the best we’ve ever had.

It's hard to believe we've already come to the end of season 3. (Don't worry, "The Empty Hearse" will premiere stateside on PBS January 19.) But what say you? Are you glad to have a fourth and potentially fifth season of 'Sherlock' already locked down? What classic stories would you want to see Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman tackle in future installments? Watch the trailer for "His Last Vow" below, and give us your thoughts in the comments!